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Babylon's Ashes
Babylon's Ashes is the upcoming sixth novel in The Expanse series. Its release is scheduled for December 6, 2016. Its working title was revealed on July 7, 2015http://www.danielabraham.com/2014/03/03/oh-hey-i-have-a-blog/, and its release window had been known since June 17, 2014http://www.orbitbooks.net/2014/06/17/cibola-burn-available-now-big-announcement/. The cover art and synopsis were revealed on September 14, 2015http://www.orbitbooks.net/2015/09/14/cover-launch-babylons-ashes-by-james-s-a-corey/. Synopsis A revolution brewing for generations has begun in fire. It will end in blood. The Free Navy – a violent group of Belters in black-market military ships – has crippled the Earth and begun a campaign of piracy and violence among the outer planets. The colony ships heading for the thousand new worlds on the far side of the alien ring gates are easy prey, and no single navy remains strong enough to protect them. James Holden and his crew know the strengths and weaknesses of this new force better than anyone. Outnumbered and outgunned, the embattled remnants of the old political powers call on the Rocinante for a desperate mission to reach Medina Station at the heart of the gate network. But the new alliances are as flawed as the old, and the struggle for power has only just begun. As the chaos grows, an alien mystery deepens. Pirate fleets, mutiny, and betrayal may be the least of the Rocinante’s problems. And in the uncanny spaces past the ring gates, the choices of a few damaged and desperate people may determine the fate of more than just humanity. Spoilers With Earth's Navy defending Earth from dropped rocks, Marco's Free Navy, which is supplied by the rogue MCRN faction lead by Duarte based in the Laconia System, has a grip over the system. The Rocinate's crew set out and stopped a geological ship from continuing dropping rocks on Earth. Marco's Free Navy which is set up camp in Ceres. Marco's next plan is to over extend the UN/Mars Combined fleet by abruptly striping Ceres for its wealth and abandoning the station and its six million residence. At this point Michio Pa, who is flying for Marco's Free Navy, decides to mutiny from Marco's direction because he went back on promises to supply the belt. This causes a fraction in the free navy, causing ships loyal Michio Pa to possibly join a Fred Johnson OPA/ Earth/ Mars coalition to oppose Marco's Free Navy. On the way to this meeting Fred Johnson to strokes out and dies while in battle with Marco's Pela and two other Free Navy Ships. After Johnson dies, Holden and gang convince the powers to be to gather forces and make coordinated attacks on the Free Navy's holdings. The Rocinate and an John Batista (Ice Hauler) which is filled with 2000 small rocket driven ships and missiles make a hard burn for the gate in order to take down the railguns defenses and Medina Station in The Slow Zone. With the diversion that the OPA force on the John Batista attacking the Medina Station, Bobby, Amos and a crew of OPA make a dive for the Railgun defenses. Bobby finds the railguns protected by a small force of Duarte's Martians. Bobby eventually disables the Railguns by destroying the fusion core powering all the railguns. Holden and the OPA force then easily take Medina Station after it surrenders. Holden is in now in command of Medina station which Bacca called out earlier in the books would happen. Marco's Free Navy, for its final move, then sends the rest of its forces on a hard burn to the gate to overwhelm the small OPA force and the Rocinate. Understanding winning the battle outright is impossible, Naomi discovers the events' that would need to take place for ships disappearing. (Basically A large drive ship and a good bit traffic thru the gates can Cause a "wake" to overload the system leading to the ships disappearing.) Naomi uses this information to over load the Gate Network at the time The Free Navy was going to pass thru the Gates. Much like the Barkeith, Marco's Free Navy is destroyed (or deleted not really sure) while going thru the Sol Ring Gate. Six months later at a conference on Medina Station, Holden discusses the formation of a Belt Union that controls the Gate Network and the trade that goes on in order to save Sol System, help the colonies flourish and support people living in the belt. No word has been heard from Laconia Gate, except everyone should stay away or be destroyed. References Category:Novels